Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tuilerie des Combes de Punay is an old factory in the middle of the 19th century, located in Malbrans, Doubs. Founded around 1839 by Charles Guyot de Vercia, it initially produced tiles in an artisanal way before being industrialized in 1845 with the installation of a steam machine. This site, which combines tile and sawmill, is representative of the small rural industries of the time.

In 1845 a steam machine was installed to modernize the production of "advanced tiles". The lime ovens were completed in 1864. The tiles changed hands in 1884, when Firmin Mourot, a wood merchant, bought it and added a sawmill to supply the ovens. The tile production activity ceased in 1940, while the sawmill operated until 1965.

All remaining buildings and equipment are listed as historical monuments on 31 July 1979. Despite restoration campaigns in 1978 and 1988, the site suffered partial collapses in 2017 and 2023 due to a lack of maintenance. The project of an ecomuseum, envisaged since 1979, has never been successful, although the municipality and local institutions have supported preservation work.

Architecturally, the tilery is organized in the form of "H", with two parallel buildings connected by a third. It includes accommodation, a engine room, lime ovens, and a torch warehouse for wood. The brick square chimney, typical of the industrial buildings of the period, dominates the whole. The materials used, such as limestone and flat tile roofs, reflect local techniques.

The production of the tile was varied: flat tiles, mechanical tiles, hollow bricks and full bricks, as well as elements such as hurdles or smoke ducts. The models were often marked with " Lapoire", "Firmin Mourot" or "Combes de Punay". The labour force, made up of about ten people in the 19th century, worked with steam-operated machines, such as a moulder-stretcher or cylinder grinder.

Today, the site, although protected, remains fragile. Recent collapses underscore the urgency of its preservation. Public subsidies, formerly available, are now limited to 80% of maintenance costs, complicating restoration efforts. The Tuilery of the Combes of Punay remains a valuable testimony of French rural industrial history.

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